Beltracchi The Art of Forgery
For nearly 40 years, Wolfgang Beltracchi fooled the international art world and was responsible for the biggest art forgery scandal of the postwar era. An expert in art history, theory and painting techniques, he tracked down the gaps in the oeuvres of great artists - Max Ernst, Fernand Leger, Heinrich Campendonk, Andre Derain and Max Pechstein, above all - and filled them with his own works. He and his wife Helene would then introduce them to the art world as originals.
What makes these forgeries truly one-of-a-kind is that they are never mere copies of once-existing paintings, but products of Beltracchi's imagination, works "in the style of" famous early 20th-century artists. With his forgeries, he fooled renowned experts, curators and art dealers. The auctioneers Sotheby's and Christie's were hoodwinked, just like Hollywood star Steve Martin and other collectors throughout the world.
Winner of Best Documentary at the German Film Awards.
Running Time
103 mins
Year
2014
Kanopy ID
1844476
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Comments (4)
I love this kind of story, where a ¨fraud¨ unmasks frauds. Rudy Kurniawan did the same thing for the wine world by rebottling cheap wine and selling it as vintage. It took years for anyone to figure it out. I consider these figures to be descendants of Socrates. They are posing fundamental ...Read more
I love this kind of story, where a ¨fraud¨ unmasks frauds. Rudy Kurniawan did the same thing for the wine world by rebottling cheap wine and selling it as vintage. It took years for anyone to figure it out. I consider these figures to be descendants of Socrates. They are posing fundamental questions about what such institutions (the art world, the wine world) have become.
The most amusing part of the story is that not only this forger but also all of the gallery owners, ¨experts¨, and auctioneers whom he duped (and who despise him now) derive their income from the creativity of others. In fact, they are all parasites, so why not consider them morally equivalent? Many power brokers in the art world actively exploit artists, which it seems to safe to say Beltracchi never did.
One of the most interesting questions raised by the film is what an artist truly is. If artists break the rules, then Beltracchi qualifies. Putting the ¨artist¨ back in ¨con artist¨! Well-behaved people, those who accept what they are told to do and be, are not really artists, after all. By definition, they create something new by breaking what were the rules of the game--think of Duchamp, among other modern artists. Of course, such a view may seem to imply that criminals more generally are also artists, but there is no denying that this particular fraudster was artistically talented. His lack of remorse reveals that he takes himself to be doing more than simply earning money. He seems to believe that the entire art world is a sham, so why not play along with that game and win?
Read lessWhy isn't everyone talking about this film!? Beltracchi rewrote art history so well that he even fooled the experts–and they are livid! This a true crime story with a likeable, talented antihero.
Ein ganz sympathischer Mann und daher geniessbarer Dokumentar. Wenn der Mensch kein Genie ist, bin ich kein Mensch. Außerdem sind seine Gemälde wirklich schön. Seine Fälschungen und die Werke von "ihm" selber. Any American watching this should question our prison system in contrast to the ...Read more
Ein ganz sympathischer Mann und daher geniessbarer Dokumentar. Wenn der Mensch kein Genie ist, bin ich kein Mensch. Außerdem sind seine Gemälde wirklich schön. Seine Fälschungen und die Werke von "ihm" selber. Any American watching this should question our prison system in contrast to the French and Europe. Should we change something about ours? i think so. Is Beltracchi a human who made conscious illegal choices, or less than an animal, deserving to be caged 24/7? Clearly the U.S. has got it wrong and needs to fix the system immediately. Vive le Beltracchi! ;)
Read lessThe Bonnie and Clyde of the Art World... Awesome documentary!